ROME, Sept 10, 2009 (AFP) - The US clothing group Levi Strauss on Thursday 10 September inaugurated its largest store ever, choosing the heart of Rome as its venue and announcing plans to open further outlets in other world capitals.

A Levi Strauss store in India - Photo: AFP/File/Dibyangshu Sarkar

"Many brands and many companies are struggling but Levi is not," said Levi Strauss chairman John Anderson, whose company is the world leader in jeans production.

"We are making a significant investment in Italy for our biggest store in the world. We have great confidence in Italy and its consumers, it sets the trend for the rest of the world."

The Rome store on the Via del Corso occupies an area of 400 square metres (4,300 square feet) and could expand to 550 square metres.

Armin Broger, the head of Levi Strauss in Europe, said the company would eventually open stores in Milan, Florence, Bologna and Venice in Italy and capital cities elsewhere.

Levi Strauss reported a 3.0 percent fall in second quarter sales to 905 million dollars (620 million euros) and a net loss of 4.0 million dollars after a profit of 1.0 million dollars in second quarter 2008.